BARBOURSVILLE — Rocky Tops Pizza was established by the Akers family in Kenova in 1991. The small take-out pizza joint would quickly become a favorite in Wayne County. Today there are four locations serving up pizza with a thin, chewy crust and cheese sticks with a sweet dipping sauce.
The newest location opened its doors in Barboursville on Aug. 17.
“I grew up near the original Rocky Tops, so it was a big part of my childhood,” said Dale Johnson, owner of the Barboursville Rocky Tops Pizza. “When I went to college, I moved away from that area for a while. My wife and I bought our first home near the original location before we moved up here about two-and-a-half years ago. There was something that felt missing up here. It’s part of the community — a small, locally owned business that becomes part of the community.”
Johnson’s friend Zack Napier owns the Wayne location near Walmart.
“We found this space in December of 2020 and started work in February 2021. It had been vacant for a little while. We had to do a little work. This space was gutted. They put in an all-new floor, all-new electric, all-new sewer lines, waterlines, etc. This space was truly built from the ground up. We had a soft opening in mid-August so we could train properly and make sure we put out quality food,” Johnson said.
Pizzas come in 10-inch (starting at $7.10 for a cheese), 13-inch ($9.30), 16-inch ($12.75) and 18-inch ($15.25). Available toppings include Italian sausage, olives, ham, banana peppers and jalapenos peppers. The Rocky Tops Special includes pepperoni, sausage, onions, green peppers and mushrooms. The restaurant is also known for its cheese sticks served with a spicy pizza sauce or a house-made sweet sauce.
Rock Tops also has sandwiches including a Sugar-Flaked Ham Sandwich ($5.99), an Italian Submarine ($6.99) and a Pizza Bread Sandwich ($4.99). Salads include Antipasto ($6.49), Chef ($6.49) and Garden Salad ($6.19). Side items include Chicken Wings ($5.99 for six pieces, $11.99 for 12 pieces), french fries ($2.49) and potato wedges ($2.69).
“It’s hard to compare our pizza to any particular style of pizza. It’s not like a New York pizza or a Chicago pizza. I’d like to describe it as a West Virginia style. It’s a little bit of a thinner crust that tends to rise up just a little bit. We run our sauce and our toppings almost all of the way to the crust. I’d say our sauce and the spices we use are what separate us from everyone else,” Johnson said. “Pizza toppings are almost a mixing pot for me. Regularly I’ll get pepperoni with maybe some banana peppers and mushrooms, but sometimes I’ll throw everything on there. It seems to all be really good no matter what I put on there.”
Rocky Tops Pizza is located at 3478 U.S. 60 in Barboursville. It is open from 10:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It is closed Sundays. Cash and all major credit cards are accepted. For daily specials, visit https://www.facebook.com/rockytopspizzabarboursville/.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
